MarSOC continues growing despite Marine Corps drawdown

Marine Special Operations Command Commanding General Maj. Gen. Mark Clark told The Daily News recently that while the Marine Corps is decreasing its forces by 20,000, MarSOC will continue with its planned growth.

USMC Photo

By AMANDA WILCOX - Daily News Staff

Published: Sunday, November 25, 2012 at 12:52 PM.

While the rest of the Marine Corps is planning on cutting its forces by 20,000 Marines over the next four years, Marine Special Operations Command (MarSOC), will be doing the exact opposite and will continue with their planned growth.

MarSOC currently consists of 625 critical skills operators, 32 teams and nine companies, but those numbers are expected to grow to 844 critical skills operators, 48 teams and 12 companies by 2016, according to information from MarSOC officials.

In addition to the increase in MarSOC operators, support personnel in the form of three battalions will also be added to the MarSOC ranks, with approximately 1,800 Marines scheduled to fill those units by 2016.

“This (growth) was planned long before the drawdown, and I think that’s a key point,” said MarSOC Commanding General Maj. Gen. Mark Clark in an interview with The Daily News earlier this month. “We’re not all of a sudden deciding ‘Hey we’re going to grow MarSOC.’ This had been a planned growth from a few years ago and it just so happens that we’re still continuing that (growth) as the rest of the Department of Defense is drawing down.”

Clark said that when MarSOC was established in 2006, a promise was made to grow MarSOC to the levels needed to complete its missions, and that promise hasn’t changed even though the rest of the Marine Corps is reducing its forces.

Earlier this year, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos authorized an additional 821 support Marines for MarSOC in critical jobs like intelligence and explosive ordnance disposal. Although it’s less than MarSOC leadership wanted for this year, Clark said that considering the Corps’ planned drawdown from 202,100 to 182,100 active-duty Marines, MarSOC is grateful.

“We’re not going to be able to get everything that we want right now,” Clark said. “It would be unrealistic and unfair to ask that we get everything that we need. We’re just going to have to make some decisions about where do we accept empty faces and spaces.”

While the rest of the Marine Corps is planning on cutting its forces by 20,000 Marines over the next four years, Marine Special Operations Command (MarSOC), will be doing the exact opposite and will continue with their planned growth.

MarSOC currently consists of 625 critical skills operators, 32 teams and nine companies, but those numbers are expected to grow to 844 critical skills operators, 48 teams and 12 companies by 2016, according to information from MarSOC officials.

In addition to the increase in MarSOC operators, support personnel in the form of three battalions will also be added to the MarSOC ranks, with approximately 1,800 Marines scheduled to fill those units by 2016.

“This (growth) was planned long before the drawdown, and I think that’s a key point,” said MarSOC Commanding General Maj. Gen. Mark Clark in an interview with The Daily News earlier this month. “We’re not all of a sudden deciding ‘Hey we’re going to grow MarSOC.’ This had been a planned growth from a few years ago and it just so happens that we’re still continuing that (growth) as the rest of the Department of Defense is drawing down.”

Clark said that when MarSOC was established in 2006, a promise was made to grow MarSOC to the levels needed to complete its missions, and that promise hasn’t changed even though the rest of the Marine Corps is reducing its forces.

Earlier this year, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos authorized an additional 821 support Marines for MarSOC in critical jobs like intelligence and explosive ordnance disposal. Although it’s less than MarSOC leadership wanted for this year, Clark said that considering the Corps’ planned drawdown from 202,100 to 182,100 active-duty Marines, MarSOC is grateful.

“We’re not going to be able to get everything that we want right now,” Clark said. “It would be unrealistic and unfair to ask that we get everything that we need. We’re just going to have to make some decisions about where do we accept empty faces and spaces.”

Clark said he hopes to be able to make those sacrifices in numbers at the headquarters level, rather than with the Marines on the ground. He said while he hopes MarSOC will be able to reach its full strength soon, he’s grateful they’re being given anything at all.

“We’re getting most of (what we need). We’re not getting all of it, but we’re thankful for the Marine Corps — for what they’re doing — because as everybody’s drawing down, they’re giving us a pretty good chunk of resources,” he said. “I think we ought to be pretty happy considering the environment that we’re in right now.”

The Marine Corps drawdown officially began in October, with the start of fiscal year 2013, and will continue over the next four fiscal years.

Contact Daily News Military Reporter Amanda Wilcox at 910-219-8453 or amanda.wilcox@jdnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AWilcox21.